


Crash and Burn

by Wishmaker1028



Series: Crash and Burn [1]
Category: Crash Bandicoot (Video Games)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2020-09-26 15:21:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20391862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wishmaker1028/pseuds/Wishmaker1028
Summary: The Evil Twins are finally defeated! Peace has been restored, thanks once again to Crash and Cortex... But what's that in the sky coming this way? An alien ship? (AU of Crash Team Racing, where TwinSanity happened first.) Please read and review! And always think outside of the box!





	1. Chapter 1

It was a stormy day on N. Sanity Island. The clouds were low above head and the rain was coming down hard. There was no lightning or thunder, just rain and wind. Coco Bandicoot looked outside of her home, seeing the gloomy weather. She sighed sadly. It had been raining badly for the past week and Coco was starting to get cabin fever. She turned to her cousin, Crunch Bandicoot, and their father figure and protector of the islands, Aku-Aku.

"It's still raining!" The girl bandicoot groaned out of boredom.

"Oh would you relax? The rain will let up eventually and we get to drive our new karts around!" Crunch told her, optimistically.

The bandicoots had been organizing a little event that was open to everyone: a kart race. Competitors were coming from all over just to see the tracks alone. Even the world famous racing star, Isabella, was planning to attend. Coco saw her cousin's slight blush, despite his rather dark fur color.

"Oh you just want to have face time with Liz." She teased.

Crunch blushed harder, a bit more red this time. "How dare you! I'm just excited to hear one of her new songs in person, that's all!"

Coco narrowed her gaze a bit, wanting to tease him more but Aku-Aku broke them up. "Alright, that's enough you two. Don't want to wear yourselves out before the big day tomorrow." He advised.

The girl bandicoot turned to the window, frowning at the rain. "If it doesn't keep raining that is... I really wanted to take a drive out at Coco Park." She grumbled.

"Well that will have to wait I'm afraid." Aku-Aku stated.

Coco turned back to the magical mask and nodded. She looked around, seeing that her brother was no where in sight. This got her slightly worried. "Uh... Where's Crash?" She asked.

"I think he went to the store in town to get something for tomorrow's race." Aku-Aku replied.

Coco frowned. That was unexpected. She knew that her brother was getting cabin fever too but she had wished that he stayed home. She sighed, walking over to a picture that was taken recently. It was of her brother, Crash, the _'bad guy'_ Dr. Neo Cortex, and his niece, Nina Cortex. Crash was in the middle of the two, giving them both bone crushing side hugs. Nina looked annoyed, gasping for air. Cortex's expression was...unreadable. The picture was taken after the trio had teamed up together to defeat the Evil Twins about five months ago. She thought with a small nervous frown, _'Then again, after what happened... He's probably nervous about if he is coming or not...'_

...

_Five Months Ago_

The camera had finished taking the photo. Crash walked over to the camera, palming it gently. He turned to Cortex and Nina, his eyes more on Cortex. The awkward silence was broken by Cortex, whom had spoken first.

"What?" He asked, a bit annoyed.

Crash pouted sadly, whimpering like a puppy that wanted attention. Nina was the first to pick up on this. "I think he's worried about us. Or more specifically, _you_." Nina commented.

Cortex looked at his niece, as if she was crazy. There was no way that Crash could be worried about... His worst fears had been realized when Crash hugged Nina rather tightly. Nina protested, though her protests fell on deaf ears. Cortex looked at the two of them. He had to admit, he was worried too. Now that was clear that he was starting to follow the path to good, he knew it meant a high price for them. At that moment, Crash's family came over to them. Aku-Aku was even there but thankfully, he was alone. Cortex wasn't in the mood to deal with Uka-Uka right now.

"So... what will happen now?" The magical mask asked Cortex.

He looked at the magical mask and admitted a bit too quietly, "I was...going to ask you the same question."

"I will admit, if we had you two on our side, it would bring my brother's forces down greatly." Aku-Aku stated.

"I'm kind of surprised that you still consider me a threat." Cortex slightly teased.

"I did but now I see you as a lost soul to my brother's malice. And I ask you to forgive me for telling him to send you to the Evil Twins." Aku-Aku apologized.

Cortex couldn't believe his ears. "I'm sorry... did _you_ just apologize to _me_? I thought after all of this time I would have to apologize to you." He replied.

That's when Coco stomped up to the evil scientist. Granted, she didn't think he was that evil in the first place. "Crash may have forgiven you but you do have me to apologize to." Coco hissed. Crunch held her back, much to Cortex's relief. "Crunch!" She protested.

Cortex was thankful to Crunch, turning his attention back towards Crash. He still had a worried look on his face. Cortex gulped down a bit of nerves before hugging the orange creature. Crash was surprised at first but returned the hug. Eventually, Cortex let go of Crash, a bit reluctantly.

He finally answered the elephant in the room, "I don't know if I am ready to be good. But I know that I'm not evil anymore. And I don't want to return to Uka-Uka either until I know."

"So where are you going to go? And what about me, Uncle?" Nina asked, a bit worried.

Cortex went over to his niece, placing a hand on her shoulder. With sadness in his voice he answered, "You have a strong head on your shoulders... so much like your mother... So I'm going home for awhile to see her. You are more than welcomed to come or stay."

"But my brother... he might find you... or destroy you." Aku-Aku warned.

"He'll have to catch me first." Cortex told the magical mask. His eyes turned to Crash as he waved farewell. "So long Crash Bandicoot..."

...

_Present Day_

Crash had made it to the sight where they all last saw Cortex and Nina. He sighed sadly, his eyes looking out to the horizon. He didn't know if Cortex was returning or not but he hoped, that at least for his sake, he was safe.

"Cortex... until we meet again..." He whispered.

...

_Wishmaker1028: Alright there we have it! Chapter 1 is done! Now, regarding timeline questions, this story will be taking place after TwinSanity. None of the story line from Crash Nitro Kart or Crash Tag Team Racing has taken place yet. And for those of you that are curious, during the five month gap, Coco developed a small microchip implanted on the back of Crash's neck so he can talk. Hope you all enjoyed! Please read and review! And always think outside of the box!_


	2. Chapter 2

The very next day, the sun was finally beating down on the island. Coco was beyond excited and immediately drove her new pink kart to Coco Park. Right behind her in his new blue kart was her brother. She looked back at him, a winning smirk on her face.

"I'll be taking victory now." She smugly stated.

"That's what you think!" Crash claimed.

Just as he was about to power slide past her, a black holoclip landed on the track. Both of the siblings quickly slammed on the breaks, looking up at the face of an alien.

It stated, _"Greetings, creatures of this planet, I've come to compete."_ Suddenly, a green long spaceship appeared in Earth's atmosphere. There were multiple alien technology onboard, along with the alien in question. He also had orange fuzzy dice. He smirked, _"So you pesky Earth-slugs like to race, eh?"_ He chuckled evilly and continued, _"Well I, Nitros Oxide, am the fastest racer in the galaxy. I travel the stars looking for creatures to test my skills. It's a little game I call 'Survival of the Fastest'."_

"Survival?!" Coco repeated, in shock.

Crash gulped in fear as they continued to listen to Oxide, _"Here's the way we play: I challenge the best driver of your world to a race for the planet. If your driver wins I'll leave your miserable little rock alone. But if I win I'll turn your entire globe into a concrete parking lot and make you my slaves." _He laughed evilly, getting out of his rather large craft. He got into a neon green hovercraft, making his way down to Earth. He finished,_ "Get ready to race for the fate of your planet!"_

Crash turned to Coco, who was already whipping out her laptop. As if she knew what her brother was going to ask. She started to type furiously as Aku-Aku appeared to them. Behind him was Crunch, in his new camo green kart.

"Did you guys hear that?" Crunch asked his cousins, in shock.

"Sadly yes. Coco is trying to figure out when he'll be here." Crash told him.

"I do not believe that this alien is connected to my brother. But I do believe that he will use this chaos to cause his own." Aku-Aku stated.

Coco looked up from her laptop and reported, "This message was sent to everyone on the planet. Panic is ensuing everywhere."

"What's his ETA?" Crash asked her.

"He'll be arriving to this location, two hours our time." She answered.

"By that time, the Nitro Squad is gonna be here!" Crunch replied.

"Then I suggest we go and meet them at the airport sooner than we planned." Crash responded.

"In the meantime, I'll get all tracks ready and operational." Coco reassured.

"I will stay behind and help you." The magical mask offered.

Coco nodded, gratefully. With that, Crash and Crunch went to the airport to meet the Nitro Squad.

...

Just as Coco stated, everyone at the Wumpa Airport was in a panic. Five bandicoot girls had entered the lobby. The first girl on the far left had green hair in a bob cut and a tail, pink lipstick, green eye shadow, and green eyes. She wore a minidress that had a yellow checkerboard pattern on her hips, dark green leggings with yellow stripes, and green sneakers with white laces. Her name was Ami, the world class fighter. 

The second girl on the left had sky blue hair in two bobs and tail, along with orange eyes, and a right ear piercing. She was wearing a sleeveless white lab coat, white pants and dark sneakers. Her name was Megumi, the famous scientist. 

The girl on the far right had blonde hair, an orange tail, blue eyes with light purple eye shadow, and a beauty mark on her left cheek. She was wearing a brighter blue and white jumpsuit. Her sneakers were navy blue. Her name was Isabella, the famous kart racer. 

The second girl on the right had black hair with purple highlights in it, a black tail, purple eyes with purple eye shadow and lipstick, and two left ear piercings. She was wearing a dark green tank top with purple straps, a dark purple with white stripes skirt, dark purple capri leggings under her skirt, and dark purple sneakers. Her name was Liz, the pop singer.

Finally, and oddly enough, in the middle of them was Crash's ex-girlfriend. It was Tawna. Her shirt was a magenta color and features a white outline of a Wumpa Fruit, blue denim shorts, white socks, and brown red sneakers. Crash sighed sadly once he saw her. Of course he knew that she was coming. She had become the Nitro Squad's leader and bodyguard of sorts when they were talking last. They had kept in contact over the years, even before Coco gave Crash the microchip. Crash could still remember what she told him when she left:

_"I just want to find out who I am. I wanted to be able to save myself, ya know? Not feel like a damsel in distress. I like you, I really do but you aren't going to become my boyfriend that way. I like being able to stand for myself. And I don't you or anyone else, especially that Tommy gun waving idiot, to be my knight."_

Upon seeing Crash, Tawna gave a small wave. Crash gave a small smile, waving back to her. Crunch decided to break the ice as soon as the girls reached them.

"Welcome to N. Sanity Island, ladies. I hope your stay with us is a pleasant one." He greeted them. He gestured to Liz, giving her a small wink. Liz just rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Well I'm glad that you could have us." Tawna honestly stated. She turned to Crash and added, "I'm guessing that you are dealing with that alien soon."

Crash admitted, "He wanted the world's best and fastest driver. I'm more than willing to let someone else take a turn. Kind of burnt out after the Evil Twins incident."

Tawna nodded in agreement. He told her everything that had happened five months ago.

Ami asked, "So... how do we get to our hotel then? I would like to freshen up a bit before we help out."

Crash raised an eyebrow, "You girls wanna help?"

Ami huffed, "Hey! We're more than just girls! We know how to race too, you know!"

Crash waved his hands up in defense as Megumi spoke, "Ami, please. Calm down. I think he's just worried about our safety." 

Crash nodded in agreement, a bit scared of her. Ami calmed down, giving him _'I'm watching you'_ gesture. Crash just chuckled nervously before sending Megumi a thankful look. She smiled softly at him. Isabella didn't know why but she felt a little bit jealous.

"So what's the plan?" Liz questioned.

"We'll take you to your hotel and head for the tracks in about two hours time." Crunch answered.

The girls all were disappointed not to sleep off any jet lag. But they understood the cause and all nodded. Crunch went to the baggage claim while Crash stayed close to the girls. He was chatting with Megumi, all the while making Isabella jealous. Unknown to any of them, Dr. Neo Cortex had returned to the island as well. With him were Nina and Nacey. Nacey was Neo's older sister and Nina's mother. She had short brown hair, brown eyes with dark purple eye shadow, a pink short sleeved blouse, dark purple capri, and white sneakers.

"Seems like something has happened." Nina commented, pointing towards the news.

"An alien? Coming here?" Cortex questioned.

"You sure it isn't one our old pets from back in the day?" Nacey slightly teased.

Cortex shot her a look before turning towards where he had saw Crash. He knew what he had to do. But did he have the courage to do it?

...

_Wishmaker1028: Well that ends chapter 2 on a long note! Hope you all enjoyed this! Please read and review! And always think outside of the box!_


	3. Chapter 3

A little while later, Coco was getting the last pieces together. There was a lot of media present, including two local reporters, Chick Gizzardlips and Stew. Coco was trying not to look scared but Aku-Aku knew better.

"Do not worry. I have faith in your brother." Aku-Aku reassured.

Coco turned to him, with a small smile on her face. Just then, Nacey walked over to the two reporters. She was now wearing a dark red short sleeved blouse, black capri, and black sneakers. Her ears had small dark red gems pierced in them.

"Ah! Welcome Ms. White!" Chick said a bit excited. "We are glad to see that you have arrived safely."

"I thought you two were supposed to meet me?" Nacey asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That we were but this whole alien thing has everyone on edge! Worse than my dad's gumbo on a Saturday night!" Stew proclaimed.

His odd statement gave him a look from both Chick and Nacey. It was at this moment Coco went over to them.

"Uh... I beg your pardon. Did he say that you are Ms. White? As in thee Ms. White from the London Tribune?" Coco asked.

"Guilty. Although White is the last name of my ex. So please call me Nacey." She insisted.

"Well um Ms. Nacey, welcome to N. Sanity Isle." Coco greeted shyly. "My name is Coco Bandicoot and this is the island protector, Aku-Aku."

"Hello Ms. Nacey." Aku-Aku stated, making his presence known.

Nacey giggled slightly as she revealed, "Actually, I already know a lot about you two."

This catches Coco's attention. But before she could ask, a sudden burst of wind caught their attention. They all turned to see that Spyro and Sparx had arrived.

"Finally! I thought we would never get here!" Spyro gushed. Sparx buzzed happily. Spyro chuckled, "Yeah, I can't wait to see Crash either bud." He turned and saw the group there, wagging his tail in happiness. "Are we too late to come to the roasting party?" Spyro asked Coco.

Coco laughed as she ran over and hugged the dragon. Spyro returned it. The two parted from their hug as Sparx buzzed happily all around the genius bandicoot. "You are never late." Coco teased.

"I thought not. I suspect that this alien is the work of Cortex though." Spyro stated.

Nacey was trying not to show her nervousness. But the way he had said that rubbed her the wrong way. Eventidenally, it did the same with Coco and Aku-Aku. Chick and Stew decided to head off, letting them all catch up.

Coco asked, "Why do you say that?"

Spyro answered, "Well... he was at that place Moneybags was hiding off of my gems he took from me over the years. And he teamed up with Ripto, if you remember correctly."

"Too well..." Coco admitted, a bit quietly.

"Yeah that's why Sparx and I came! We wanna help you race against this alien and stop Cortex's plan!" Spyro stated bravely.

Coco smiled a bit at him. While she was glad he was hear, she wasn't too sure that this was Cortex's doing. Before she could try and explain things, a limo pulled up. She looked and saw that her brother had arrived with the Nitro Squad and Crunch. Crash got out of the limo, running over to Spyro. He smiled and the two of them hugged. Coco smiled more now. At least that was a decent subject change.

"Boy I never thought you would come here!" Crash gushed.

"I had to! I am itching to spread my wings and fly around any track!" Spyro told him.

Crash scratched his chin nervously. Nacey tried her hardest not to giggle. _'Oh dear,'_ she thought. Before Crash could fully explain, some bullets were shot overhead, scaring everyone. Crash turned and saw Pinstripe coming up to them.

"Well? How's my aim?" Pinstripe asked.

"Horrible...as usual." Tawna answered.

Pinstripe saw her and wiggled his eyebrows. Tawna shuddered.

"Yeah it's good to see you again. This time, I'll make yous mine!" Pinstripe promised.

"Not happening." Tawna sharply told him.

"Yeah that's what yous say now." Pinstripe replied. He showed her his piece and added, "But you'll be singing a different tune later."

"Do you mind putting that away? There is no need for that here." Nacey insisted, going up to them.

"Yeah and who are you?" Pinstripe hissed, pointing it at her.

Nacey didn't seem scared, just glared at him. Pinstripe put it down eventually, walking off in a huff. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Wow... she's brave." Crunch whispered.

Coco went over to her and asked, "Are you alright Ms. White?"

Nacey smiled at her a bit. "I'll be okay." She turned to Tawna as she added, "As long as you are."

Tawna merely nodded. Nacey smiled a bit as Liz ran over to her. "Ms. White? As in..." She started to ask. Nacey nodded as Liz became all star struck. "Oh my gosh! I've been a big fan of your column since I was a kid! What are you doing here?" Liz asked.

"I guess you could say I'm here for a reunion..." She answered, mysteriously. She turned to Crash and added, "Good luck in the race, Crash. I have full faith that we will find our hero in this Grand Prix."

"Uh... thank you." Crash replied a bit confused.

Before he could realize that he never told her his name, she was already gone. _'Who was she?' _He thought. A few moments later, some of the bad guys started arriving. Uka-Uka also arrived, smirking darkly. Aku-Aku didn't like the look of it.

"Soon brother, you shall perish with your precious planet. For one of my minions will win and claim the victory in my name!" Uka-Uka claimed.

"It will not be any of them, brother. But one of my friends that will take the victory." He stated confidently.

Uka-Uka chuckled evilly. It was in this moment that Cortex and Nina decided to let their presence known. Spyro was about to flamethrower him until he saw Crash running over to him. Cortex was puzzled but the minute the orange bandicoot hugged him, he knew that Crash was there for him. And it was something he was not expecting. Especially after all of this time. Spyro's jaw dropped in surprise, landing on the ground.

...

_Wishmaker1028: Well there we have it! Chapter 3 is done! Hope you all enjoyed this! Please read and review! And always think outside of the box!_


	4. Chapter 4

Later on that day, everyone had gathered at Turbo Track for the time trials. The time trials were for preliminaries. They were planning to do a four cups: Wumpa, Crystal, Crash, and Nitro. Chick, Stew, and Nacey stood in front of the camera. The three of them were holding microphones as the camera started to roll.

Chick spoke first, "Top of the morning and a cackle doo do sports fans! Chick Gizzarlips here at Turbo Track for the preliminary showdown. Racers must show their mental to go the distance here. They must complete one lap of this track to get approved to enter in on the competition!"

Stew added, "That's right Chick! Everyone is raring to race, even me! I bet I could show off my dreads or something..." Chick cleared his throat, getting Stew to focus once again. He stated, "Oh! Sorry."

Nacey reported, "We have two dividing teams here. One that wishes to stop Nitros Oxide and one that wants the world to themselves. Let us hope that one of the heroes from Aku-Aku's team or a neutral party can take the win. For those that are in a neutral party can declare the victory in either teams name." She thought, _'God save the queen, I hope it isn't Neo... He's already in enough turmoil.'_

Chick held up a paper and responded, "And here are the racers coming to the podium. First! Representing the Aku-Aku team! We have the hero of the island and the world five months ago! Presenting Crash Bandicoot!" 

At that moment, Crash walked up to the podium. He waved to the camera. Nacey froze for moment. She knew who she had to announce next. She was just scared for him. Crash saw her face and thought, _'What's wrong with her?'_

Before Chick could ask a question, Nacey finally spoke. "Next we have a neutral team member. All the way from my hometown of London, England. My brother... Dr. Neo Cortex."

Not only was a massive gasps from the crowd but everyone was stunned. Cortex didn't go up to the podium but ran over to his sister and hugged her. She returned it, trembling a bit. He stroked her hair slowly.

"Hey...whatever happens... thank you." He whispered.

She gave him a small smile as they stood side by side. He finally went to the podium, joining Crash. Crash was smiling wide at the two of them. He thought, _'So that's how she knew my name.'_

Stew commented, "Next up we have a rocket scientist of crazy kind. Representing the Uka-Uka team is Dr. N. Gin."

N. Gin went up to the podium. Cortex wanted to talk to him but it was apparent that the rocket scientist didn't want to talk.

Chick said, "Followed by the brawn of their team, representing Uka-Uka... is Tiny." Tiny hoped up to the podium, howling up a storm. He further added, "Then we have from the native village! Representing the Uka-Uka team is Papu Papu!"

Just then, Papu Papu came up to the podium.

Nacey said, "From the gun crazed world, representing Uka-Uka... Pinstripe Pontroo!" Pinstripe went up on the podium, winking at Tawna. Tawna shuddered. She further added, "And speaking of crazy, representing Uka-Uka... Ripper Roo."

That's when Ripper Roo hoped on the podium, laughing like crazy.

Stew said, "The young genius of the bandicoot team! Representing Aku-Aku is Coco Bandicoot!" Coco went up on the podium, waving to all. He further added, "And the strong man of the bandicoot team! Representing Aku-Aku is Crunch Bandicoot!"

That's when Crunch stepped up, flexing a bit.

Chick said, "The girl that has the most metal! Introducing for a neutral team, Nina Cortex!" Nina walked up to the podium and stood next to her uncle. Nacey waved to her. Nina smiled at her mom and waved back. He added, "And then we have the dragon that needs no introduction! Representing Aku-Aku's team: Spyro!"

Spyro flew up to the podium, with Sparx on his right.

Nacey said, "Representing the Aku-Aku team: famous Nitro Squad! We have: Tawna Bandicoot, Isabella, Liz, Ami, and Megumi!" 

The girls all waved to the crowd.

Stew said, "Next we have for Uka-Uka's team: Komodo Joe and Komodo Moe!" That's when the Komodo Brothers came up to the podium. He added, "Then we have for Uka-Uka's team: N. Brio and N. Tropy!" 

The two went up to the podium. 

Chick said, "Finally we have representing Aku-Aku's team: Baby T, Polar, Pura, and Penta Penguin!" All of the animals went up to the podium, smiling and waving. He added, "Second to last, we have N. Trance, representing Uka-Uka's team!" 

N. Trance went up to the podium, waving to the crowd. Coco was about to say something in protest until N. Trance turned to her, his eyes turning pink.

"I was invited." He simply told her.

"He was invited." Coco replied right back.

Crash raised an eyebrow. Something about that didn't sound right to him. That's when Fake Crash finally entered the stadium, being late as per usual. He smiled goofily.

"Finally, uh... we have Fake Crash." Stew reported, weirded out. He turned to Crash and whispered, "What's the story with him?"

Crash was about to answer until the magical masks appeared.

"That's a story for another time. For now, let us start the preliminaries!" Aku-Aku stated.

The crowd cheered in agreement. Without a further delay, everyone started their preliminaries. Everyone did really well, even the animals who barely knew what they were doing. Slowly but surely, the cups started with Crash winning the first cup. Cortex had taken second while N. Trance took third and Coco took fourth. The competition went like that for awhile. Soon it came down to Crash in first, Cortex in second, N. Trance right at his heels, and Coco.

"It has been a wild ride! But as at this point in time, it looks to be a tie for second!" Chick reported.

"What?!" Cortex protested. "But he's a point behind me!"

N. Trance laughed. "Protest all you want. Anyone that gets in Uka-Uka's way of a victory will be my minion!"

"What did you do to him?!" Cortex demanded.

"The same thing I will do to you if you are indeed the problem like N. Tropy said." N. Trance threatened.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Cortex asked.

"Racers to the staring line!" Chick stated, breaking them out of the fight.

"Guess you will find out shortly." N. Trance replied, with an evil laugh.

...

_Wishmaker1028: Uh oh. That doesn't sound good. Also, been thinking about giving this story two endings, a good/true ending and a bad/false ending. Why two endings? Well that will be explained later! Right now, I got to get out of here. I got work later today. For now, please read and review! And always think outside of the box!_


	5. Chapter 5

-Flashback: A few minutes ago-

_Uka-Uka frowned upon seeing that they were starting to lose their chance at winning. They only had one option right now._

_"Actually my liege." N. Tropy stated, as if he was reading the magical mask's mind. "We have another."_

_"Explain." Uka-Uka demanded._

_The time master turned to him and explained, "I've seen the future, my liege. I foresee one of the neutral parties taking the victory and declaring it in Aku-Aku's name."_

_"Something tells me you are withholding who it is for a reason." Uka-Uka told him._

_He nodded, "I do not know how you would react."_

_Uka-Uka was silent for a moment before he shook his voodoo bones. Of course it had to be him._

_"Then let us see to that problem..." The magical mask muttered, turning to N. Trance. "Think you can hit him with your hardest shot?"_

_"It will be easy!" The hypnotist claimed._

_"Then do it. I want Cortex on our side, if this is to happen." The magical mask stated._

-End of Flashback-

The tie breaking race was currently being set up at Tiger Temple. It had been chosen at random by the randomizer. Chick and Stew were doing their thing.

Chick announced, "This track called Tiger Temple features several different track mechanics one after another! Making it difficult to navigate effectively. Racers are constantly angled up or down on a track consisting of several hills and ramps. Twice on the track, racers will also encounter a funneling chamber with two on each side spouting fire at different intervals."

Stew added, "And don't forget! There is a turbo pad located around the corner of the shortcut and also one at the entrance of the Fire-Breathing Tiki chamber. The entire level is dotted with small hills that give enough air for turbo boosts if hit at the right time. The only obstacles on this track are the rotating Fire-Breathing Tikis. If timed right, they are not a hindrance. If the racer is breathed on by one of the Tikis, they will spin out!"

As they were talking to the camera, Nacey was currently looking for her brother. Coco saw her, also looking for hers. She saw Nacey and approached her.

"Have you seen my brother?" Coco asked.

"No... have you seen mine?" Nacey questioned.

...

Meanwhile, at the outer banks of Crash Cove, Cortex was sitting in the brown sand. He was looking out towards the ocean. Crash was with him, enjoying the breeze. Cortex had come out here, trying to figure out what N. Trance had meant. 

Crash saw him run off and went with him. The two had oddly quiet, though Crash wanted to talk up a storm. He wanted to surprise Cortex. He just didn't know what to say. Cortex was the first to say something.

"When did saving the world become complicated?" He asked, rather quietly.

Crash raised an eyebrow. "You... count what happened?" When he saw Cortex's eyes flew open, he pointed towards the rather tiny microchip. He explained, "Coco implanted this on me after you left." Cortex was in awe. There was tears in his eyes. Crash rubbed the back of his neck. After a moment or two, Cortex chuckled a bit. "What's so funny?"

"You actually let a needle near your fur?" He teased.

Crash felt flushed. "Maybe that's a story for another time..." Cortex laughed hard. Crash smiled. "Made you laugh at least."

Cortex admitted, "There has been a lot on my mind. Especially with what's been happening."

"Never expected to become a hero?" Crash questioned.

Cortex answered, "My grandfather always wanted me to follow in his evil footsteps. He always said that our oldest sibling, Edgar, defied his evil ways by joining the Army." Crash listened intently to Cortex, hanging onto every word. He added, "Four years later, he died protecting his palliation."

Crash admitted sadly, "I had no idea."

"Story for another time." Cortex insisted. He looked back out towards the ocean again. "But the short version of the story is this: I know I don't want to do this anymore. Being evil. It's just not me anymore."

"Rather be Edgar?" Crash asked.

Cortex raised an eyebrow and started to say, "If you mean a celebrated _dead_ hero..."

Crash quickly interrupted, "Okay not what I meant."

The two had a good laugh. Crash looked out at the ocean one more time. Cortex did too. He knew what to do. He just didn't know if it was him that Uka-Uka was worried about. The two eventually left the beach, driving side-by-side.

...

A little while later, Crash and Cortex arrived at Tiger Temple. Cortex pulled up to the starting line, where he saw that Nacey and Coco were waiting. He waved to his sister, who breathed a sigh of relief. Coco did too.

Chick announced, "Well with both racers finally here! We can break this tie!"

N. Trance pulled up to the starting line. Crash went to the side, looking worried. He knew N. Trance was a hypnotist from his first run in. He frowned, _'But why is he so determined to race Cortex? It doesn't make sense...'_ As soon the light went green, the two racers headed out on the track. They were neck and neck for the first lap. 

N. Trance got really Cortex suddenly for a moment but only for a moment. N. Trance smirked evilly as he thought, _'That's all I need. Now for phase 2!'_ Cortex put down every beaker he got. N. Trance fired every missile. They had traded power ups for the second lap, putting Cortex inches behind the hypnotist. 

They had gone into the last lap, N. Trance in the lead. Cortex was at his heels. Crash felt like he was holding his breath. It gave him the worst sense of deja vue.

_"Take care of Nina for me... if I don't make it."_

Crash held back the evident tears. He didn't want this to end badly. Suddenly and for a brief moment, N. Trance slammed on the brakes. Cortex quickly took the lead and the victory. Everyone was in shock. Everyone but the bad guys, minus N. Gin. The plan had worked.

  
Chick announced, "Ladies and gentleman! Going to the final race is Dr. Neo Cortex! He will be racing Crash Bandicoot at Polar Pass!"

"Victory." Uka-Uka claimed.

...

_Wishmaker1028: Well there we have it guys! Chapter 5 is done! Sorry it took so long but work has been crazy. Thankfully I have a three day weekend, starting Saturday. Also been thinking about doing a series of one shots soon. But for now, please read and review! And always think outside of the box!_


	6. Chapter 6

Nitros Oxide had flew to the outskirts of Polar Pass. His ship was still waiting for him outside of Earth's hemisphere. He had come to watch the race and find out who his opponent would be. Seeing the alien made the Nitro Squad girls nervous. Crunch saw this and held onto Liz. The pop star blushed a bit. Crash hanged onto Isabella, much to her surprise and blush. Tawna turned red the minute Ami hanged onto her. Megumi hid behind Tiny, frightened.

Crash saw him and muttered, "Certainly seems like a friendly guy..."

"Sure wish Hunter came with me..." Spyro groaned.

Sparx buzzed in agreement. Cortex seemed rather frightened, turning his head. Crash looked at the alien, seeing a weird alien symbol on the hood of his hovercraft. It looked rather familiar. Almost like it was... That's when he started to have a flashback.

-Flashback: Five Months Ago-

_Crash and Cortex had just arrived back to Iceberg Lair. The two had go in the back way when Cortex's key wouldn't open the front door. The two were about to go downstairs when they heard a doorbell going off. Cortex turned his head and saw a door there. There was a symbol of a parrots face, similar to the yin yang symbol._

_Cortex turned to Crash and slightly teased, "It's probably for you."_

_Crash shot him a look. Just when he was about to open it, the door had opened on its own. The Evil Twins came out, each of them holding one of the magical masks. The one on the left was holding Aku-Aku and the one on the right was holding Uka-Uka._

_"Trick or treat!" The one holding Aku-Aku, Victor, stated._

_They both threw down the magical masks. Crash and Cortex gave each other uneasy glances. That was not a good sign._

_The one that held Uka-Uka, Mortiz, boomed, "Fools! You thought that these two party toys could defeat us?! We're masters of the infinite dimension! Power over reality itself!"_

_"And riches beyond imagination!" Victor added._

_"Riches?" Cortex repeated, rubbing his hands together greedily._

_Mortiz, however, seemed annoyed. "Riches?!" He bonked Victor on his helmet. "What's wrong with you?! Always bringing up the riches..." He shook his head, turning back to Cortex. He smirked darkly. "You don't remember us, do you doctor?"_

_Crash raised an eyebrow, throwing a glance at Cortex's way. The evil scientist looked just as confused as Crash did._

_"Should I?" He asked._

_Mortiz claimed, "You ruined our lives! Allow us to... return the favor."_

-End of Flashback-

"Crash?" Spyro asked, bringing him out of his reverie. "You alright? You look like you've seen a ghost." Crash tried to shake it off but the memories were starting to roll back to him like old wounds. He knew it had only been five months. But those memories were starting to feel like they happened yesterday. "Crash?" Spyro tried again.

Crash slowly started to come out of it, turning to his dragon friend. He admitted, "Bad memories..."

"Really bad memories." Cortex added, a bit quietly.

Spyro frowned. He knew what they meant. But he only saw a small bit of that chaos. The rest of it he learned about from Crash. Sparx flew onto Crash's shoulder, buzzing softly. Crash smiled a bit at the dragonfly. While this was going on, the two reporters started to do their thing.

Chick stated, "This track, Polar Pass, is a hard one! Racers must race through this track that cuts through ice and snow! There are a lot of twists and turns but only one racer must come through towards the end! Who will it be?"

Stew commented, "Oh man! Whoever it is, I do not envy them! Cause right after they win this race, they take on Nitros Oxide on a track that we've never seen before!"

Chick replied, "Indeed! It is a terror." He turned and saw that everyone was ready. He added, "Racers! Take your marks and good luck!"

Crash and Cortex did as they were told. They both drove up to the starting line. Crash had to admit, he was nervous and scared. Granted, he had taken Cortex down many times before... But this time... this time it was different. Nothing was on the line here. Just the honor to race Oxide. Crash didn't know if he was into this or not.

Before he could realize what had happened, the green light flashed. Cortex took off. Crash took off a second behind him. Cortex was just as scared as he was. _'I don't know if my heart into this. I never had a problem before defeating Cortex before...'_ He thought.

_That's because he was never on your side before._

That random thought cut through him like a knife. It had made sense. Before this, Cortex was evil - dedicated to Uka-Uka.

_But now... he is working with you._

Crash couldn't argue that point. Granted, they both knew five months ago that they had no choice. They were the only ones that could stop the Evil Twins.

_He was the one that suggested for you to join forces. Not you._

Crash had to admit that teaming up with Cortex wasn't his idea. He, honestly, didn't have a clue on how to defeat the Evil Twins. But yet there was a bold plan boiling under Cortex. He thought, _'To team up with me.'_

_Out of everyone available, out of all of his teammates, all of his friends... He asked you._

To that, it spoke volumes to Crash. Cortex would have never suggested that before. He always seemed bothered by Crash's meldings.

_He was scared. He asked you, not anyone else, to look after Nina._

Crash grimaced. He tried to forget that. It was during a tough spot, towards the end of the final battle. The Evil Twins had tried one last dirty trick after Crash had destroyed their robot. Mecha Bandicoot had claimed its first victory and it wasn't against him. The two had _"left"_ and Crash got out of the robot. He was about to go over to Cortex and Nina when they had returned. They were about to attack Crash when Cortex got in between them. The blast had blown him back. Cortex had a hole near his heart, bleeding badly.

_He was near death. He sacrificed himself ... for you._

Crash slammed on the brakes near the end of the final lap. Cortex had already crossed the finish line, taking victory. Coco knew something was wrong. Nina did too, she knew that look. Cortex did too and was about to drive over when Oxide flew over to him.

"Uh..." He started to say.

"I must admit, Earth slug... You are quite fast! We will race for the fate of your planet!" Oxide proclaimed.

Before he could protest, he felt his body being pulled up by a beam of blue light. Crash looked up, barely in time, to see Cortex being abducted.

"Cortex!" Crash screamed, having horrible deja vue.

...

_Wishmaker1028: This was a rather long chapter. Sorry there was no update yesterday but work was horrible. So I worked on it today! Hope you all enjoy! Please read and review! And always think outside of the box!_


	7. Chapter 7

When Cortex was finally able to open his eyes, he had noticed that he was laying down on some strange yellow tiles. He placed a hand to his forehead as he tried to remember what happened. As he sat up, Oxide noticed he was finally awake. He walked over to him, smirking evilly. What had happened dawned on Cortex rather quickly.

Oxide smugly commented, "Welcome puny earthling to my space station. The home of my racetrack!" Cortex was baffled but took a look around. It was a long track and there were a lot of jumps to it. There were also some turns. It had scared Cortex a bit. Oxide never felt so smug, "You ready to race, earth slug?"

"You abducted me! That wasn't apart of the deal! I know you are evil but this is too much." Cortex protested.

Oxide raised an eyebrow. "From what I hear, you are just as bad as I am." Cortex was about to protest again when he realized he had no room to. Oxide laughed evilly, feeling smug. "Now. Let us race!"

...

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Coco had found the space station still at the outer hemisphere.

She reported, "I have eyes on the station, brother. It is still in the same place."

"And what of Neo?" Nacey asked, a bit worried.

Coco honestly answered, "I can't tell."

Naceey frowned. Crash still had his eyes on the spot Cortex had been abducted.

Chick was reporting, "Well fans, it seems we have still no word on what had happened to Dr. Neo Cortex."

Stew added, "That's right Chick. And I can honestly say that this is crazier than my aunts during holiday."

Uka-Uka was actually pleased with this development. He knew when N. Trance's hypnotism finally kicked in, the world would be his. All he had to do was wait. The only problem was Crash. And currently, Crash had turned to Aku-Aku, with a determined look on his face. The magical mask knew that look all too well. Crash was up to something.

"You have something to ask of me, don't you?" Aku-Aku asked.

Crash nodded. "I want to go up there."

Aku-Aku sighed. Uka-Uka overheard this and instantly got worried. He didn't know what will happen if Crash went up there. He turned to N. Trance.

He whispered, "Can he ruin this?"

N. Trance answered with confidence, "He can try but Cortex will **declare** victory for you."

Uka-Uka raised an eyebrow before it finally hit him. He smirked up a storm.

"So that is your word for the hypnotism to work." He stated.

"Very clever but how do you know Crash won't say that?" N. Tropy asked, a bit concerned.

N. Trance dropped the smirk a bit. He knew that N. Tropy had a point. He just didn't want to admit to it. Uka-Uka saw this and instantly took action. He floated over to his brother and Crash.

Uka-Uka lied, "I want to go with you. After all, we need to know what side he will choose victory for."

Crash knew it was a lie. Aku-Aku knew it too but floated up and down, as if to nod.

"Very well. You may come with us." Aku-Aku told him.

Uka-Uka hid his smirk as the three of them were transported to the space station.

...

Back on the station, the race had already begun. The two of them were on the second lap, Oxide was a bit ahead of Cortex. The alien was throwing everything he had at him. He even cheated at the beginning of the race, driving off at the third red light. Cortex was furious and thought, _'How does Crash do this all of the time? If I was him, I would have given up on good along time ago!'_

All of the sudden, he felt his kart spinning out. He had ran into a red beaker and there was now a cloud of acid rain above his head. He thought, _'Maybe I should declare the victory for Uka-Uka... I mean, things can't get any worse can they?' _His mind was all over the place. His heart, however, felt like that was wrong. He couldn't do that. He felt like his heart was changing. He felt like that ever since he had saved Crash five months ago.

He dodged a bomb being rolling back towards him but barely. That was a story for another time. Right now, he needed a plan. He had a lot of Wumpa Fruit but no decent powerup. He drove through another powerup box, receiving an electrical sphere. He smirked and for the first time in his life, it wasn't an evil smirk. He released the electrical sphere. It flew off to find Oxide, finding him just ahead a bit.

Oxide felt his hovercraft shocking him, forcing him to pullover. Quickly seeing his chance, Cortex took first. Once he was in first, Oxide pulled every trick in the book to get back his _"rightful"_ spot. Cortex dodge whatever he could, power sliding whenever. It was a rather interesting back and forth match. The two were in their final lap now, headed towards the last leg of the track.

Cortex was still in the lead but barely. Oxide was furious that the earthling was doing so well. He was also furious that Cortex was going to get the best of him. That's when he rummaged through his powerups and got out three tracking missiles. He fired off the first one, which Cortex barely managed to dodge. The second one got Cortex's back tire, making him spin out a bit. The alien smirked, seeing his chance to release the third one. Cortex was ever close to the finish line with Oxide right on his tail. Having nothing but his wits, Cortex crossed the finish line. It was at that moment, he had not only saved the world but got the alien very upset.

So upset in fact that, knowing the race was over anyways, launched his final missile. Cortex felt it hit him instead of the kart. He groaned out in massive pain, losing control of his kart. The kart crashed into some of the railing. Cortex's left arm was bleeding badly as the missile got him in the shoulder. Cortex collapsed onto the horn, making it beep. Oxide smirked darkly. He was impressed by the earthling. He had, not only won, but had the guts to stand up to him.

Just then, the two masks and Crash had arrived. Crash saw the condition Cortex was in and gasped sharply.

"Cortex!" He cried, running over to his fallen friend. Oxide got in between them. Though he was met with a fire in the bandicoot's eyes. "Let me through!" He demanded.

"I wanted to race you, bandicoot." Oxide admitted. "I wasn't expecting him nor was I expecting him to give me a fantastic race."

"How do you know about us anyways?!" Crash demanded.

Oxide stated, "That is a story for another time. Right now, I declare victory! And your world will be turned into a concrete parking lot!"

Crash's heart thudded in his chest. Cortex... failed? That didn't seem possible. He looked up at the digital scoreboard and instantly felt smug. He pointed up to it, gaining the attention of everyone. The initials for first place were NPC. The initials for second place was NO. Oxide's smug face turned into a shocked one.

Oxide started to say, "But... how?! I made sure that I short circuited them..." 

That's when he got a well earned glare from Aku-Aku. Crash had slipped by Oxide, grabbing up Cortex gently. Trying to avoid the tears and feeling of deja vue, Crash took Cortex and walked over to the two masks. The good magical mask took them back to Earth, leaving a fallen Oxide behind.

...

_Wishmaker1028: Well there we have it! A rather long chapter but I left you guys on a cliffhanger! Please read and review! And always think outside of the box!_


	8. Good True Ending

Crash felt the ground under his feet and knew that he was back on Earth. The minute his sister saw him holding Cortex in his arms, she had ran over to them. Chick and Stew quickly turned the camera away. Nacey and Nina both ran over. Nina was in shock, understandably so. This gave her hard sense of deja vue. Aku-Aku floated over to the media. He told them that Cortex had won and to give them a few hours to get him back on his feet.

Everyone cheered. Uka-Uka kept his distance from the action. He remembered how the hypnosis was supposed to work. He hated biding his time. But he knew that he had no other option right now. Right now, as he understood it, the hypnosis would not work until Cortex was awake.

He remembered what N. Trance told him, _"You have to be very specific. You can't tell say declare over and over again. I made sure that he would not figure out the key word and give the victory to Aku-Aku. Wait til he awakens. Then ask him or tell him: declare the winner. If you say it like that, the hypnosis will work."_

Meanwhile, Coco was trying her hardest to fight off her worry and the deja vue. Since Cortex didn't lose a lot of blood this time, she had asked Nacey and Nina to standby. The two did as they were told and waited. Crunch came over with the Nitro Squad girls in tow. Isabella, seeing Crash's horrified look, placed her hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, sadness in his green eyes. He looked like he was losing his best friend. That made her heartbreak.

"I am sure that he will be okay..." She whispered.

"Thanks..." He whispered back.

She gave him a gentle squeeze to his shoulder. After a moment or two, Cortex started to stir.

"He's waking up!" Coco gushed.

Crash turned to him, seeing that his sister was correct. Cortex slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry at first but the minute it refocused, he saw Crash.

"C - Crash...?" He asked, a bit weak. He tried to get up but was forced back down by the weight in his shoulder.

"Take it easy! Your shoulder is really hurt." Crash insisted.

The bandicoot was trying his hardest not to be super happy. But it was hard to when he saw that Cortex was alive. It was a huge load off his chest.

Cortex's eyes widen in realization and complained, "Oh that stupid alien hit me in the shoulder after I won fair and square!"

Uka-Uka instantly perked up at that. He knew that _"evil"_ Cortex wouldn't care about that. He thought, _'That means he will pick Aku-Aku to win. Not on my watch...'_

The evil magical mask turned to them and asked, "So... have you decided on who you will declare the winner?"

Cortex groaned a bit. For a brief moment, his eyes turned pink with a blue swirl in the middle. Uka-Uka smirked darkly. He did his job beautifully but the glare from Aku-Aku made him worried.

"He will declare the winner when he is ready." Aku-Aku stated wisely.

Cortex groaned again. Once again, his eyes turned pink with a blue swirl in the middle. Uka-Uka's eyes went wide. While he knew that his brother had no idea what they were up to, he couldn't help but be suspicious.

He huffed, "He will declare the winner now!"

Another groan from Cortex. Aku-Aku was getting suspicious. Crash was getting upset.

"Hey why don't you stuff it already? Can't you see he's been through enough already?!" Crash hissed.

"Why don't you stuff it?" Cortex asked, a bit rudely.

That got Crash's attention as he did a solid 360. He looked at Cortex like he grew three heads. Everyone was looking at him the same way. (Minus the bad guys.)

"Neo? Are you alright?" Nacey questioned.

"I'm fine Nance! Just let it go!" Cortex insisted.

Nacey stepped back a bit and thought, 'What just happened? He hasn't been this snippy in a long time...'

Nina folded her arms in front of her chest and asked him sharply, "Hey Uncle why don't you cool it?"

That's when Cortex looked up at her. He sharply replied, "Why are you throwing evil away? You were so good at it, Nin. You could've taken over my stationery, for Pete's sake." That raised all kind of red flags. 

Aku-Aku turned to his brother and demanded, "What did you do to him?"

Uka-Uka cackled evilly, "That is for me to know and for you to never find out!"

Coco growled, "N. Trance got to him!"

Nina nodded in agreement. "Yeah during their race."

Crash turned to Cortex, whom was turning his head this way and that way. It was like he was battling for his sanity. Cortex had got to his feet but just barely. Crash got to his feet quickly before he could do anything.

"Cortex..." He breathed. He calmly placed a hand on his shoulder and begged, "Please... don't do it... don't declare the winner to be Uka-Uka..."

Uka-Uka was about to say something but Aku-Aku fired a warning shot. Uka-Uka barely dodged it. Cortex was panting as his eyes became his color again. They were brown again. His eyes met with Crash's green ones.

"C - Crash?" He stammered.

"I'm here. I promise." Crash replied.

Before he knew it, Cortex hugged him. Crash returned the hug, smiling up a storm.

"I declare Aku-Aku the winner." He softly whispered.

Crash whispered, "I know..."

The sun shone brighter than it usually would. The clouds that were coming in were chased away. Aku-Aku smiled as he went into one of the pools of sunlight. Seeing this, Uka-Uka grew furious and threw a shot at him. Aku-Aku deflected it with great ease, forcing all of the bad guys to retreat. Cortex turned to Nina and Nacey. He was now wearing a sky blue hoodie with some black slacks and brown sneakers.

"Uncle? How'd you change so quick?" Nina asked him.

He told them, "That's not important right now. What is that I'm sorry for what I said."

Nina blew it off and stated, "Not your fault. It was N. Trance's."

"She is right, Neo. His hypnotism was rather strong." Nacey added.

"So glad that I wasn't the man in green." He mumbled, more to himself.

Nacey elbowed him teasingly. He hugged his sister and niece. He was smiling up a storm. This ... this is were he belonged.

...

_Wishmaker1028: Alright there is the good ending! Right after this is the evil ending! Don't forget, I'll be doing a series of one shots and two possible sequels to both endings. For now though guys, please read and review! And always think outside of the box!  
_


	9. Evil False Ending

Crash felt the ground under his feet and knew that he was back on Earth. The minute his sister saw him holding Cortex in his arms, she had ran over to them. Chick and Stew quickly turned the camera away. Nacey and Nina both ran over. Nina was in shock, understandably so. This gave her hard sense of deja vue. Aku-Aku floated over to the media. He told them that Cortex had won and to give them a few hours to get him back on his feet.

Everyone cheered. Uka-Uka kept his distance from the action. He remembered how the hypnosis was supposed to work. He hated biding his time. But he knew that he had no other option right now. Right now, as he understood it, the hypnosis would not work until Cortex was awake.

He remembered what N. Trance told him, _"You have to be very specific. You can't tell say declare over and over again. I made sure that he would not figure out the key word and give the victory to Aku-Aku. Wait til he awakens. Then ask him or tell him: declare the winner. If you say it like that, the hypnosis will work."_

Meanwhile, Coco was trying her hardest to fight off her worry and the deja vue. Since Cortex didn't lose a lot of blood this time, she had asked Nacey and Nina to standby. The two did as they were told and waited. Crunch came over with the Nitro Squad girls in tow. Isabella, seeing Crash's horrified look, placed her hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, sadness in his green eyes. He looked like he was losing his best friend. That made her heartbreak.

"I am sure that he will be okay..." She whispered.

"Thanks..." He whispered back.

She gave him a gentle squeeze to his shoulder. After a moment or two, Cortex started to stir.

"He's waking up!" Coco gushed.

Crash turned to him, seeing that his sister was correct. Cortex slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry at first but the minute it refocused, he saw Crash.

"C - Crash...?" He asked, a bit weak. He tried to get up but was forced back down by the weight in his shoulder.

"Take it easy! Your shoulder is really hurt." Crash insisted.

The bandicoot was trying his hardest not to be super happy. But it was hard to when he saw that Cortex was alive. It was a huge load off his chest.

Cortex's eyes widen in realization and complained, "Oh that stupid alien hit me in the shoulder after I won fair and square!"

Uka-Uka instantly perked up at that. He knew that _"evil"_ Cortex wouldn't care about that. He thought, _'That means he will pick Aku-Aku to win. Not on my watch...'_

The evil magical mask turned to them and asked, "So... have you decided on who you will declare the winner?"

Cortex groaned a bit. For a brief moment, his eyes turned pink with a blue swirl in the middle. Uka-Uka smirked darkly. He did his job beautifully but the glare from Aku-Aku made him worried.

"He will declare the winner when he is ready." Aku-Aku stated wisely.

Cortex groaned again. Once again, his eyes turned pink with a blue swirl in the middle. Uka-Uka's eyes went wide. While he knew that his brother had no idea what they were up to, he couldn't help but be suspicious.

He huffed, "He will declare the winner now!"

Another groan from Cortex. Aku-Aku was getting suspicious. Crash was getting upset.

"Hey why don't you stuff it already? Can't you see he's been through enough already?!" Crash hissed.

"Why don't you stuff it?" Cortex asked, a bit rudely.

That got Crash's attention as he did a solid 360. He looked at Cortex like he grew three heads. Everyone was looking at him the same way. (Minus the bad guys.)

"Neo? Are you alright?" Nacey questioned.

"I'm fine Nance! Just let it go!" Cortex insisted.

Nacey stepped back a bit and thought, 'What just happened? He hasn't been this snippy in a long time...'

Nina folded her arms in front of her chest and asked him sharply, "Hey Uncle why don't you cool it?"

That's when Cortex looked up at her. He sharply replied, "Why are you throwing evil away? You were so good at it, Nin. You could've taken over my stationery, for Pete's sake." That raised all kind of red flags. 

Aku-Aku turned to his brother and demanded, "What did you do to him?"

Uka-Uka cackled evilly, "Let's just say that my old friend did us a favor."

Cortex got up to his feet and took the mic from Chick. Crash was stunned. The only time he would act like that was when...

"Oh no..." He whispered.

But it was too late.

"I declare the winner to be Uka-Uka!" Cortex stated.

Uka-Uka laughed evilly. That's when the sky started to turn dark and grey. Lightning and thunder collided as the wind picked up. There was no rain but it felt like a hurricane.

Spyro asked, "W - what's happening?!"

Before anyone could explain, Uka-Uka floated up to a lightning bubble, striking at his brother. Aku-Aku immediately turned to stone, plummeting to the sand.

"Oh no! Aku-Aku!" The good guys all cried out in a scared unison.

"The world is now mine to control!" Uka-Uka declared. He turned to N. Trance and added, "I usually don't like biding my time but what you did was a big help."

N. Trance bowed in loyalty and stated, "I would do anything for evil."

N. Tropy came up to them as he reminded the hypnotist, "Just be glad that I warned you ahead of time that he was going to choose Aku-Aku."

N. Trance just said nothing to that comment. Cortex came over to them, his eyes glowing red. He was now dressed in a dark red suit with black undershirt and dark red sneakers.

"What now master?" He asked, in a hypnotized voice.

Uka-Uka turned and saw that everyone had fled. He commanded, "Capture all that were here. Make it double on Crash, if you can. We can't allow him to get the victory. Kill him if you have to. Anyone else, bring back to me alive."

"Yes master." Cortex agreed. He turned to N. Gin and asked, "Help me, N. Gin?"

N. Gin nodded in fear. It was like Cortex had become some sort of Phoenix. He paused for a moment as an unwanted shiver went down his spine. He couldn't help but wonder why.

...

_Wishmaker1028: That's it for the bad ending! I know it had the same start as the good ending but I wanted to do it that way. Don't forget, I am hoping to do a series of one shots following this series and two sequels to each ending. Hope to see you all soon for that. Please read and review! And always think outside of the box!_


End file.
